Jeffress is on the wrong side of this issue. Before any Christian leader gets involved in helping make this political, they need to read Matthew 5-7, and do some serious meditation and prayer. We are frequently reminded, on this board, that no one Baptist speaks for another Baptist, but when it comes to Southern Baptists, there is a willingness to lump everyone together and allow one person to speak for all. Even Rachel Maddow mentioned that Southern Baptists were among the first on the scene to provide humanitarian assistance. So not every Southern Baptist thinks like Jeffress does.

We have an immigration "crisis" because the Republican administration under George W. Bush cut funding to the border patrol to give the wealthy a tax cut. So there were fewer personnel available for patrol, and the equipment they were using for surveillance could not be replaced fast enough to be effective. Nine million of the 12 million people in the US illegally came in during Bush's terms in office. The number has been reduced significantly during the Obama administration, and it wasn't a problem at all during the Clinton administration. And while the current wave of children coming north is a new twist in an old problem, the Obama administration actually has done something about it, while Bush ignored it. So when John McCain and John Boehner flap their lips and try to make this a political issue, they are at the very bottom of why the issue isn't getting resolved. Perhaps the one good thing that will come out of this situation is that it seems to finally have awakened a lot of Americans regarding the do-nothing Congress, and it is turning public opinion against Boehner and Republicans in the House.

If you look at other Bush era budget cuts, you will find how much money they robbed from the Veteran's Administration to give their rich buds a tax cut and finance a three trillion dollar fiasco in Iraq. Congress, led by the incompetent, spineless Boehner, who won't even stand for his own convictions, is the problem, not the President or his administration.

I'm not sure how Jesus feels about a fence on the southern US border, but I'm sure he would have supported Egypt building one so his parents and he could have dealt with Herod thirty years earlier than they did. It would have made the infancy gospels so much more complete.

Sandy wrote:Jeffress is on the wrong side of this issue. Before any Christian leader gets involved in helping make this political, they need to read Matthew 5-7, and do some serious meditation and prayer. We are frequently reminded, on this board, that no one Baptist speaks for another Baptist, but when it comes to Southern Baptists, there is a willingness to lump everyone together and allow one person to speak for all. Even Rachel Maddow mentioned that Southern Baptists were among the first on the scene to provide humanitarian assistance. So not every Southern Baptist thinks like Jeffress does.

We have an immigration "crisis" because the Republican administration under George W. Bush cut funding to the border patrol to give the wealthy a tax cut. So there were fewer personnel available for patrol, and the equipment they were using for surveillance could not be replaced fast enough to be effective. Nine million of the 12 million people in the US illegally came in during Bush's terms in office. The number has been reduced significantly during the Obama administration, and it wasn't a problem at all during the Clinton administration. And while the current wave of children coming north is a new twist in an old problem, the Obama administration actually has done something about it, while Bush ignored it. So when John McCain and John Boehner flap their lips and try to make this a political issue, they are at the very bottom of why the issue isn't getting resolved. Perhaps the one good thing that will come out of this situation is that it seems to finally have awakened a lot of Americans regarding the do-nothing Congress, and it is turning public opinion against Boehner and Republicans in the House.

If you look at other Bush era budget cuts, you will find how much money they robbed from the Veteran's Administration to give their rich buds a tax cut and finance a three trillion dollar fiasco in Iraq. Congress, led by the incompetent, spineless Boehner, who won't even stand for his own convictions, is the problem, not the President or his administration.

A study by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees found that 58 percent of the unaccompanied children are motivated by safety concerns, fearing conditions back home.

Their home countries have been racked by gang violence, fueled by the drug trade. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Salvadoran and Honduran children ... come from extremely violent regions where they probably perceive the risk of traveling alone to the U.S. preferable to remaining at home."

There's violence in Guatemala, too. Many Guatemalan children, however, come from poor rural areas and may be seeking economic opportunities. The same is true for children from poorer parts of El Salvador. For many, the prospect of reuniting with family members in the U.S. is also a powerful motivating force.

Central American families may have been misled by rumors — often spread by profit-seeking smugglers — that their children will readily be reunited with relatives already in the U.S.

Republicans argue that the president's 2012 decision not to deport so-called dreamers — young adults brought to the country illegally as children — has led more families to hope for similar treatment.

Another big issue:

U.S. policy allows Mexican child migrants to be sent back quickly across the border. However, under a 2008 law meant to combat child trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, children from Central America must be given a court hearing before they are deported (or allowed to stay). Given the huge backlog of cases, they may have to wait years for a hearing.

Obama is trying:

President Obama recently asked Congress to amend the 2008 law to make it easier to repatriate Central American children more quickly.

The administration on Tuesday asked Congress for $3.7 billion to deal with the immigration crisis, as part of an "emergency" package of funds that would also help pay for Western wildfires. The money would be spent on additional Border Patrol manpower, detention facilities and more judges, while also improving care for children during the deportation process.

Republicans in Congress are politicizing. Jeffress suggested Obama use his executive powers yet Boehner/GOP are suing Obama over Executive Actions. They are playing tough and delaying action by saying they will not give Obama a blank check. Truth is Obama has deported more undocumented immigrants/year than any president (not a humane thing imo), slightly more than GWB but Congress is apparently wanting more inhumanity (largely politically motivated imo).

Informed by Data.Driven by the SPIRIT and JESUS’s Example.Promoting the Kingdom of GOD on Earth.

Note the down-to-humanitarian-business attitude of finding housing among most of the participants.

Exceptions:- Ex-BL contributor now Fox News reporter Todd Starnes concerns about health at 2 facilities (Lackland AFB and Ft. Sill each capable of holding 1200 teenagers for an interim period) about 1/2 way into linked article (answered by several officials).- Rick Perry’s complaint about Obama not going to the border- Robert Jeffress who thinks Jesus would have built an impregnable fence.

Cons just can’t bring themselves to work with anyone outside of their cabal w/o criticism.

Obama is also asking Congress to change current rules (2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act demanding court hearing before any deportation) as well as long term Immigration Reform.

Informed by Data.Driven by the SPIRIT and JESUS’s Example.Promoting the Kingdom of GOD on Earth.

Bush did cut border patrol funding. It was part of the overall budget cutting that was done to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Proposals to increase their funding have been in front of Congress since at least 2009, though early on, the increases were tied to other legislation, and more recently, they've encountered the inaction of the do-nothing Boehner Congress.

The complaining about the President's not going to the border, and the criticism of his statement that it would have been just a "photo-op" is a demonstration of a complete lack of substance on this issue on the part of the GOP. It shouldn't be a political issue at all, but of course, with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck essentially calling the shots in the Republican party these days, creating a hostile political atmosphere around everything, and using every issue as an attack launch is par for the course. This issue has the potential to shift the balance of power in Congress, and in state legislatures. It's accelerated Democratic party fundraising exponentially int he week or so that its been on the front burner.

Sandy wrote:Bush did cut border patrol funding. It was part of the overall budget cutting that was done to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Proposals to increase their funding have been in front of Congress since at least 2009, though early on, the increases were tied to other legislation, and more recently, they've encountered the inaction of the do-nothing Boehner Congress.

Whoops I put a wrong link in my post above concerning Border Patrol budgets. Here is what I meant to linkBorder Patrol Budgets 1990-2013It shows border patrol budgets increasing during Bush's time in office (one year of slight decrease) but greater spending during Obama's time in office.

Sandy wrote:The complaining about the President's not going to the border, and the criticism of his statement that it would have been just a "photo-op" is a demonstration of a complete lack of substance on this issue on the part of the GOP. It shouldn't be a political issue at all, but of course, with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck essentially calling the shots in the Republican party these days, creating a hostile political atmosphere around everything, and using every issue as an attack launch is par for the course. This issue has the potential to shift the balance of power in Congress, and in state legislatures. It's accelerated Democratic party fundraising exponentially int he week or so that its been on the front burner.

But I agree with your comments in red above but hope that elections this year will elect more progressive minded Independents who are tired of the two party gridlock.

Informed by Data.Driven by the SPIRIT and JESUS’s Example.Promoting the Kingdom of GOD on Earth.